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New music festival and country fair attracts 20,000

Donna Alos,BBC CWR and BBC Radio WMand
Andrew Dawkins,West Midlands
News imageBBC A man wearing a white shirt, a cap, glasses and two lanyards is looking at the camera. Part of some agricultural vehicles are behind him on a sunny day.BBC
Festival director Chris Hughes said "what we're trying to do is make farmers feel special"

A new event that is a cross between a music festival and country fair has attracted more than 20,000 people in a day.

The Great British Farm-Fest across 300 acres at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire features hundreds of animals, and then bands, DJs and star guests in the evenings between Friday and Sunday.

After 20,000 people attended on Saturday alone, festival director Chris Hughes said he thought it would end up with about 55,000 people going to the festival over the weekend.

Asked if he thought this was going to become an annual event, Hughes replied: "Yes, I mean that's the idea".

"We know fame comes and goes, but agriculture is right at the heart of our national life and so we want this to stay and grow for the future", he added.

Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson was among TV and radio presenters advertised to be at the show, which included plans for 12 arenas and more than 400 stalls.

The entertainment on Sunday is set to include Alex James from Blur and 10cc.

It is a festival celebrating skills and produce of Britain's farmers and combining "the traditional joy of a large country fair with the excitement and energy of a modern music festival", the venue said.

News imageA field includes stalls and a tractor. There are two green banners either side of the entrance to the field near the bottom of the image. There are trees on the left and in the background.
There were plans for 12 arenas and more than 400 stalls

Hughes said it was "quite important when we started this that it wouldn't just be about Clarkson's Farm [on Amazon Prime] and stars off the telly.

"There would actually be ordinary farmers who would come here and feel the love from a nation that is grateful and have a chance to explain what they do."

The festival director added that "we know farming is difficult", but "we also see so much joy amongst farmers, and so much pride".

News imageFarm-Fest A woman with long blonde/brown hair and wearing a grey jumper is next to a man in a coat. They are both wearing blue jeans and standing by a gate in a field. Farm-Fest
Lisa Hogan and Jeremy Clarkson, from Clarkson's Farm, were among people on television advertised to be at the show in Warwickshire

Hughes also said: "We'd not given the RAF Falcons enough space to land in according to their regulation.

"We were four metres short..... we said to the whole crowd 'we need to move this barrier and all of you back four metres'.

"The crowd picked up the barrier as directed [and] walked backwards very calmly.

"A crowd that fixes its own operational problems is quite something and that is very much the spirit of farming."

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